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Fresh off a Copa Libertadores victory over Argentinos Juniors, River Plate return to the Argentine Primera Division where they host Union at El Monumental Stadium on Sunday.
The visitors played out an impressive 1-1 draw against Boca Juniors last time out and will be aiming to build on that performance.
River Plate picked up their first win of the season on Thursday when they beat fellow Argentines Argentinos Juniors 2-0 in the second leg of their Copa Libertadores clash.
30-year-old forward Braian Romero put on a clinic as he scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season to hand the Darseneros a vital victory.
Following their first-leg 1-1 draw, the result gave Gabriel Milito’s men a 3-1 aggregate win and secured their place in the quarter-finals of the continental competition.
River Plate will aim to carry on with this momentum when they return to the domestic league, after they fell to an opening day defeat against Colon de Santa Fe.
They are currently 22nd in the Argentine Primera Division table, seven places behind Sunday’s visitors.
Meanwhile, after a lengthy break, Union de Santa Fe returned to action last Friday when they held Boca Juniors to a 1-1 draw.
Austin Obando gave Boca Juniors the lead after 10 minutes, but Fernando Marquez restored parity with nine minutes left in the game.
Juan Manuel Azconzabal’s side have now avoided defeat in their last four outings across all competitions and will be aiming to keep the juggernaut rolling this Sunday.
River Plate vs Union Head-To-Head
With seven wins from overall 14 games played, River Plate head into the game as the superior side in the history of this fixture. Union have picked up one win, while six games have ended all square.
River Plate Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-D-L-W
Union Form Guide (all competitions): D-D-W-D-L
River Plate vs Union Team News
River Plate
Agustin Fontana has recovered from his knee injury and will be available for this game. He played in the league defeat to Colon and was on the bench for the Copa Libertadores second-leg match against Argentinos Juniors. Lucas Pratto is injured but his contract has recently been terminated with the club and he will ply his trade elsewhere once he gets better.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Union
The visitors will be without the services of Nicolas Penailillo and Mauro Luna Diale, who have been sidelined due to muscle and meniscus injuries.
Injured: Nicolas Penailillo, Mauro Luna Diale
Suspended: None
River Plate vs Union Predicted XI
River Plate predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Franco Armani; Gonzalo Montiel, Jonatan Maidana, Hector Martinez; Agustin Palavecino, Enzo Perez, Nicolas De La Cruz; Julian Alvarez, Braian Romero, Matias Suarez
Union predicted XI (3-5-2): Sebastian Moyano; Franco Calderon, Juan Carlos Portillo, Claudio Corvalan; Federico Vera, Martin Canete, Gaston Comas, Imanol Machuca, Kevin Zenon; Juan Manuel Garcia, Nicolas Cordero
River Plate vs Union Prediction
After stumbling into the new season with an opening day defeat against Colon de Santa, River Plate will be aiming to make amends and return to winning ways. After their impressive Copa Libertadores win over Argentinos Juniors, the hosts will head into the game in high-flying spirits.
We predict River Plate will build on that performance and claim their first win of the season.
Prediction: River Plate 3-1 Union
